BRITISH LIBRARY
Question: What is this man doing?
Answer: Stitching a section of an embroidery 13 metres long and 1.5 metres
wide which replicates the Magna Carta's Wikipedia article as it appeared a year ago
on the charter's 799th anniversary.
2015 is the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, a treaty setting out joint rule between Bad King John and the Turbulent Barons - or so the story goes. One version of events is that the King outfoxed the barons by reneging on his promises. But the story never ends. There was a report yesterday that a letter found in Lambeth Palace Archives shows 'the truly revolutionary nature of what happened in 1215' and that the king did not take sole charge of the new peace - the first glimmer of shared power showed through..
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| Cornelia Parker with a section of the tapestry (photo) Tony Antoniou |
The British Library chose the brilliant Cornelia Parker to celebrate the event. She has the ability to transform some of the most ordinary objects into something compelling and extraordinary (for example a garden shed in
Cold Dark Matter: an exploded view at the Tate). Sometimes she contains things beyond our control and
makes them into that which is quiet and contemplative. In this case she turns a unique, revolutionary charter into somethng as commonplace as a piece of embroidery.
Over 200 people helped to create this piece. They included over 40 prisoners
supervised by Fine Cell Work, a social
enterprise group which trains prisoners in paid, skilled creative
needlework; members of the Embroiderers' Guild who tackled the the
detailed pictures, emblems and logos; civil rights campaigners,
MPs, celebrities, the Royal School of
Needlework, Hand and Lock - and some present day barons.
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| Jarvis Cocker who stitched the words "Common People" (photo) Joseph Turp |
The artists says "These very different people each have their own opinions about democracy today and I thought carefully
about the words they should stitch. For instance Baroness Warsi, Eliza Manningham-Buller, Julian Assange and numerous prisoners have stitched the word 'freedom' but each has their different relationship to it". Jarvis Cocker, above, stitched "Common People".
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00ptsjd (Jarvis Cocker)
All
these people have their own opinions about democracy today and I
thought carefully about the words they should stitch. For instance, Baroness Warsi, Eliza Manningham-Buller, Julian Assange and numerous prisoners have all stitched the word ‘freedom’, but all have different relationships to it.”
The bulk of the text of the Wikipedia page has been embroidered in various prisons by inmates under the supervision of Fine Cell Work,
a social enterprise that trains prisoners in paid, skilled, creative
needlework. The detailed pictures, emblems and logos that punctuate the
text have been fashioned by highly accomplished members of the Embroiderers' Guild, a national charity that promotes and encourages the art of embroidery and related crafts, alongside embroiderers from the Royal School of Needlework and the leading embroidery company Hand & Lock.
“I love the idea of taking something digital and making it into an analogue, hand-crafted thing”, says Cornelia.
- See more at:
http://www.bl.uk/press-releases/2015/may/cornelia-parker-unveils-13-metre-long-magna-carta-embroidery#sthash.m9x78lrP.dpuf
All
these people have their own opinions about democracy today and I
thought carefully about the words they should stitch. For instance, Baroness Warsi, Eliza Manningham-Buller, Julian Assange and numerous prisoners have all stitched the word ‘freedom’, but all have different relationships to it.”
The bulk of the text of the Wikipedia page has been embroidered in various prisons by inmates under the supervision of Fine Cell Work,
a social enterprise that trains prisoners in paid, skilled, creative
needlework. The detailed pictures, emblems and logos that punctuate the
text have been fashioned by highly accomplished members of the Embroiderers' Guild, a national charity that promotes and encourages the art of embroidery and related crafts, alongside embroiderers from the Royal School of Needlework and the leading embroidery company Hand & Lock.
“I love the idea of taking something digital and making it into an analogue, hand-crafted thing”, says Cornelia.
- See more at:
http://www.bl.uk/press-releases/2015/may/cornelia-parker-unveils-13-metre-long-magna-carta-embroidery#sthash.m9x78lrP.dpuf
355 MAGNA CARTA EMBROIDERY by CORNELIA PARKERCornelia
said, ‘I wanted the embroidery to raise questions about where we are
now with the principles laid down in the Magna Carta, and about the
challenges to all kinds of freedoms that we face in the digital age.
Like a Wikipedia article, this embroidery is multi-authored and full of
many different voices. - See more at:
http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2015/05/magna-carta-an-embroidery.html#sthash.6Zrdqeif.dpuf
Cornelia
said, ‘I wanted the embroidery to raise questions about where we are
now with the principles laid down in the Magna Carta, and about the
challenges to all kinds of freedoms that we face in the digital age.
Like a Wikipedia article, this embroidery is multi-authored and full of
many different voices. - See more at:
http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2015/05/magna-carta-an-embroidery.html#sthash.6Zrdqeif.dpufvcvncncm,n
Cornelia
said, ‘I wanted the embroidery to raise questions about where we are
now with the principles laid down in the Magna Carta, and about the
challenges to all kinds of freedoms that we face in the digital age.
Like a Wikipedia article, this embroidery is multi-authored and full of
many different voices.’ - See more at:
http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2015/05/magna-carta-an-embroidery.html#sthash.6Zrdqeif.dpuf
Cornelia
said, ‘I wanted the embroidery to raise questions about where we are
now with the principles laid down in the Magna Carta, and about the
challenges to all kinds of freedoms that we face in the digital age.
Like a Wikipedia article, this embroidery is multi-authored and full of
many different voices.’ - See more at:
http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2015/05/magna-carta-an-embroidery.html#sthash.6Zrdqeif.dpuf
Cornelia
said, ‘I wanted the embroidery to raise questions about where we are
now with the principles laid down in the Magna Carta, and about the
challenges to all kinds of freedoms that we face in the digital age.
Like a Wikipedia article, this embroidery is multi-authored and full of
many different voices.’ - See more at:
http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2015/05/magna-carta-an-embroidery.html#sthash.6Zrdqeif.dpuf
Cornelia
said, ‘I wanted the embroidery to raise questions about where we are
now with the principles laid down in the Magna Carta, and about the
challenges to all kinds of freedoms that we face in the digital age.
Like a Wikipedia article, this embroidery is multi-authored and full of
many different voices.’ - See more at:
http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2015/05/magna-carta-an-embroidery.html#sthash.6Zrdqeif.dpuf
